South Sudan places high importance on energy

By James Gatdet Dak

October 31, 2007 (JUBA) — The Government of Southern Sudan’s Council of Ministers has passed a resolution changing the name of the Ministry of Industry and Mining, to ‘Energy, Mining and Industry’. This was resolved in a regular meeting of the Council on Wednesday, chaired by the First Vice President of the Republic and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit.

The memo requesting the name change of the Ministry was presented to the Council by the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry, John Luk Jok. In a press statement, the official spokesman of the government and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Gabriel Changson Chang, said the Council has placed a high importance on the energy sector in Southern Sudan, qualifying it to be considered the first in the Ministry.

Since the formation of the Government of Southern Sudan, the Ministry did contain only the name Industry and Mining without ‘energy’. Minister John Luk explained that the inclusion of energy will now help streamline his Ministry’s dealings with the oil sector and harmonize some of its scattered departments among some other Ministries.

Information Minister Gabriel Changson added that the Council also issued another resolution placing the Southern Sudan Electricity Corporation under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry.

This Corporation was previously supervised by the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Public Utilities.

He further added that the energy Ministry will also introduce, in the near future, a metering system in providing electricity services to the public, adding that this will make it possible to collect revenue and sustain the electricity project in Southern Sudan.

(ST)